Pork! Glorious Pork at TRES Resto (The Block - SM City)

This will blow your mind -- Binagoongang Lechon Kawali for only three pesos!!? Ain't that something! Actually, that's what captured our attention. We entered the restaurant "Tres," hoping for a pleasant surprise. And boy, did they ever gave us one!

The ambiance of the restaurant, located at the ground floor of SM North EDSA-The Block, attempts to recreate an old-Philippine house. The walls are decorated with checkered colored-glass window panes. The chairs and tables are solid wood. On the second-floor/ mezzanine, small picture frames that peppered the walls contain sceneries in the country-side. And I really like the attempt to re-create a feeling of being in the 2nd level of the house by having a real 'window' that allows people to see what's happening on the 1st level. And the waiters were all wearing (wow!) white, crisply pressed long-sleeved tops (unlike other restos that have gone too modern with their multi-colored uniforms, or have fallen in love with everything black). So far, so good. I like the atmosphere.

Now, on to the most exciting part: Eating!

We ordered Ginataang Crispy Hito, Sinigang Pork Spareribs, and Binagoongang Lechon Kawali for the main course, and Banana-Ube Turon with Langka Sauce for dessert. Julia had her favorite ripe mango shake, and Geof his usual ice tea.

The Crispy Hito was filleted to bite-sized bits, crisp-fried, topped with fried garlic, and served with the gata sauce and kamote chips on the side. The bite-size boneless fish fillet was really friendly to kids (and adults who always get trapped with fish-bones). The gata-sauce was also good - you can enjoy the richness of the gata without getting the feel that it's too milky-rich (hindi nakaka-umay).

Then the Pinoy favorite, the glorious Sinigang Pork Spare-ribs! The sinigang soup was thick as the gabi (taro) was pureed and mixed with the pork soup - it thus creates that nice feel in your tongue as the taro adds texture to the soup's salty-sour taste. The pork ribs were also generously served. I just wish they put more veggies in the Sinigang. But nevertheless, we were very pleased with this dish.

Then the Binagoongang Lechon Kawali. There were only four crispy strips of it (hey, i'm not complaining, it only cost me P3.00!) and Geof got most of it so I only got to taste a tiny bite. The crunchiness was great, but the sauce feels and taste like the sauce in the Ginataang Hito. Maybe the chef got confused??? or maybe they need to innovate more as regards the sauce of this dish.

In all, we were happy with the main course. So happy that I got adventurous to order the banana-ube turon with langka sauce. Well, it didn't disappoint. The mix of ube and banana wrapped together and fried was a delight. It was a bit too sweet, though. And I wish the langka sauce has more langka taste to it.

What delighted me also was Julia's mango shake served in a very tall glass, it feels like having two servings of mango shake!

Indeed, pork lovers will enjoy the special and unique dishes of Tres (which we noticed centers on the lechon). Maybe on our next visit at Tres, we will try Sinigang na Lechon, Lechon Rice, Crispy Kare-Kare, Pinakbet with Bagnet or Dinuguang Lechon Kawali.

Warning: Eating too much pork is not good for your health. When at TRES, ignore this warning and enjoy.